A Beautiful Day with Friends in Seattle

We had the opportunity to visit Jackson and his parents (dad: Bryant, our former music minister, mom: Michelle, whom we have gotten to know through Bryant) in Seattle today. What fun and how blessed we were to visit this sweet family!

Jackson and Bryant - Jackson had decided to be shy around me... no eye contact with the strange lady!

"I'll cautiously peer around Mom..."

"I'll think about climbing behind Mom..."

"Oh! You have a camera! You're taking pictures of ME!"

"Technology, I LUV technology!"

"Still not sure about you, strange lady, but I'm starting to think you might be ok!"

"Now that man at the end of the table is taking my picture!"

"I am SUCH a cutie, and I like playing percussion with the spoon on the table!"

 After brunch, we went walking in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle, where Jackson, Michelle, and Bryant live. There are beautiful old homes and big trees... just a sampling of a few:

I really liked the colors...

Many of the houses had windows that had the lead pane separators / decorative windows.

We also visited Volunteer Park... 

You can barely see the Space Needle just to the right of the center in this picture - peeking up above the trees.

Daddy was getting some "sugars"...

Bryant, Dwayne, and Jackson

Do those eyelids look a wee bit heavy to you?

Jackson succumbed to a nap attack on our way back to their apartment. After a prayer with our friends, we headed downtown to Pike Place Market.

A view of the waterfront near the market

Entrance to Pike Place Market

There is a little of almost everything at Pike Place Market...

More shops downstairs...

Flowers...

Fruit - including Currents or Currants...

Cape Gooseberries...

More fish...

Vegetables...

and vegetables...

More flowers...

The street outside was bricked.

Across the street was a shop with the name "Turkish Delight". They sell Turkish food, including "Turkish Delight" - in which we were particularly interested, having just recently read/heard "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in which Edmund essentially sells his family off for magical Turkish Delight from the witch. It is a fruity jellied type of candy coated with powdered sugar. We got a few pieces - it was ok... but not worth selling your family off (of course, this was probably not "magical" Turkish Delight!).

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Chateau Ste Michelle visitor center and learned a little about the local wines.

As we were coming onto the road that leads to the campground, a schoolbus was in front of us (not a Bluebird) - but it had chains hanging under it (not really visible in the picture, you'll have to believe me on this).

On the back it had a sticker (blurry, you'll have to believe me on this too): Automatic Tire Chains - I am guessing that they are these or something like them: http://www.insta-chain.com/  the video shows how they work. As I mentioned previously in this blog, I am glad that I don't need to know about "chain up areas"; I'm also glad that I don't need to consider whether we should have automatic tire chains for Miss Doozie!!!

We were so blessed to be able to visit with Bryant, Michelle, and Jackson today (and all the other things we got to enjoy too!). By the way, Jackson and I share a birthday (just a *few* years apart!).